Ion-enhanced Viscous Flow Mediated Ripples on Sapphire Surface

POSTER

Abstract

In this work, a study of ripple formation on sapphire surface by ion sputtering is carried out to investigate surface roughing mechanism of energetic ion bombardment, and ion irradiation induced surface relaxation mechanism. Well-ordered surface pattern formation through a surface instability induced self-organization process provides great application potentials in magnetic media for information storage, and quantum wires/dots for electronics and photo-electronic devices. Surface characterization by in-\textit{situ} synchrotron grazing incidence small angle x-ray scattering (GISAXS), off-specular x-ray diffuse scattering (XDS) and ex-\textit{situ }atomic force microscopy (AFM) indicates that the characteristics (wavelength, shape and amplitude) of sapphire ripples can be varied over two orders of magnitudes (30nm to 2000nm) by changing the ion incidence angle, ion energy and temperature. Within the linear Bradley-Harper (B-H) theory regime, the ion induced viscous flow (IVF) fits the general trends of the data. However, anomalous smoothing unpredicted by current models is observed near normal incidence. A relation of the smoothing characteristic time (\textit{$\tau $}) versus ion energy is extracted to better understand this deviation.

Authors

  • Hua Zhou

  • Hua Zhou

    Univ. of Massachusetts Amherst Physics Dept., Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Maine, Orono, Maine 04469-5709, University of Vermont, National Synchrotron Light Source, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Physics Department, Boston University, Boston University, Department of Physics, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, University of Vermont, Department of Physics

  • Hua Zhou

    Univ. of Massachusetts Amherst Physics Dept., Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Maine, Orono, Maine 04469-5709, University of Vermont, National Synchrotron Light Source, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Physics Department, Boston University, Boston University, Department of Physics, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, University of Vermont, Department of Physics

  • Randall L. Headrick

    Physics Department, University of Vermont

  • Hua Zhou

    Univ. of Massachusetts Amherst Physics Dept., Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Maine, Orono, Maine 04469-5709, University of Vermont, National Synchrotron Light Source, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Physics Department, Boston University, Boston University, Department of Physics, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, University of Vermont, Department of Physics

  • Hua Zhou

    Univ. of Massachusetts Amherst Physics Dept., Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Maine, Orono, Maine 04469-5709, University of Vermont, National Synchrotron Light Source, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Physics Department, Boston University, Boston University, Department of Physics, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, University of Vermont, Department of Physics

  • Hua Zhou

    Univ. of Massachusetts Amherst Physics Dept., Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Maine, Orono, Maine 04469-5709, University of Vermont, National Synchrotron Light Source, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Physics Department, Boston University, Boston University, Department of Physics, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, University of Vermont, Department of Physics

  • Hua Zhou

    Univ. of Massachusetts Amherst Physics Dept., Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Maine, Orono, Maine 04469-5709, University of Vermont, National Synchrotron Light Source, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Physics Department, Boston University, Boston University, Department of Physics, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, University of Vermont, Department of Physics

  • Hua Zhou

    Univ. of Massachusetts Amherst Physics Dept., Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Maine, Orono, Maine 04469-5709, University of Vermont, National Synchrotron Light Source, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Physics Department, Boston University, Boston University, Department of Physics, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, University of Vermont, Department of Physics